Author: ANNE ROBI
AfricaPress-Tanzania: MTWARA District Commissioner (DC), Dunstan Kyobya has warned representatives of cashew nut growers against sabotaging farmers during the 2020/21 trading season.
Speaking over the weekend, Mr Kyobya said the Prevention and Combating of Corruption Bureau (PCCB) is well-prepared to take legal action against cooperative union leaders who would sabotage farmers and traders during the trading season.
“If there is any one, be it leaders from cooperative societies, who will sabotage farmers or prices, and even cause other problems to the farmers, PCCB will take stern measures against the culprits,” he said.
Mr Dunstan made the statement at the climax of a five-day training workshop on ethical trading and quality control organised by Cashew Nut Board of Tanzania (CBT).
The training workshop involved quality control experts, industrialists, farmers and agricultural officers.
“If there is any leader in cooperative societies or from main warehouses targeting to sabotage farmers, we will deal with them accordingly,” he said, noting that PCCB and other security organs will not hesitate to take stern measures.
The DC urged Amcos leaders in all areas to abide by rules and regulations and stick to ethical principles to ensure fairness to farmers and avoid sabotage of crop production.
The DC said among other measures, the government will ensure all assets of dishonest dealers will be frozen to repay the farmers and traders who would be affected.
“Our style is to make sure the assets of dishonest dealers are frozen alongside other stern measures, including sending them to jail,” he said, adding that some dealers who were involved in sabotage cases were still in jail.
On the other hand, the DC urged quality control officers to ensure proper management of quality of cashew nuts to contain sabotage. He asked CBT to ensure quality control.
Meanwhile, the DC directed PCCB to arrest an official with Tandahimba-Newala Cooperative Union (Tanecu) for allegedly sabotaging cashew nuts during last year’s auction.
“The official should be traced and arrested immediately to face charges,” he said.
Speaking at the event, CBT Director General, Francs Alfredy said Tanecu blamed traders for selling mold cashew nuts, which caused farmers in Tandahimba to boycott cashew auction in the district.
The CBT boss said traders in Tandahimba offered low prices after Tanecu auctioned mold cashew nuts, forcing farmers to refuse to sell theirs through a district auction and instead sought better prices in Newala.
He said stern measures will be taken against the culprits and the traders so that they can stick to efficiency and honesty during cashew nut auctions.
He said CBT had taken various measures, including issuing performance licences and training to ensure honesty in the control of quality of cashew nuts during the auction season.
